Need Help

[Sly41985]

so i tried to pour a 2 part mold tonight for the first time and it did not go as planned. im using alumilites super plastic white because it has a fast set up time. when i poured it into the bait i noticed that it went straight through and out the bottom. i was holding it pretty tight and then started coming out the sides. i need to find out a way i can put the molds together and seal them while im pouring but then have the ability to demold them easily. i tried the glue gun but the stuff did not hold ... got any advice???

[MEckl8321]

so i tried to pour a 2 part mold tonight for the first time and it did not go as planned. im using alumilites super plastic white because it has a fast set up time. when i poured it into the bait i noticed that it went straight through and out the bottom. i was holding it pretty tight and then started coming out the sides. i need to find out a way i can put the molds together and seal them while im pouring but then have the ability to demold them easily. i tried the glue gun but the stuff did not hold ... got any advice???

If this is a hand made 2 part mold, such as RTV, DWP or POP, try to use a small bar clamp to press the mold together. Not so tight as to crack the mold, obviously. DON'T use a single C clamp unless you use some sort of hard backer for both sides of the mold. It puts too much pressure in one spot. A piece of thin MDF or something similar works well. . As far as leaks, you might try some blue painters tape around the joint in the mold halves. It worked for me in the past, but use more than just one strip overlapping it a bit as you go.

[Sly41985]

If this is a hand made 2 part mold, such as RTV, DWP or POP, try to use a small bar clamp to press the mold together. Not so tight as to crack the mold, obviously. DON'T use a single C clamp unless you use some sort of hard backer for both sides of the mold. It puts too much pressure in one spot. A piece of thin MDF or something similar works well. . As far as leaks, you might try some blue painters tape around the joint in the mold halves. It worked for me in the past, but use more than just one strip overlapping it a bit as you go.

yes it is a hand made 2 part mold ... im not sure what MDF means. i never thought to use blue painters tape! thats a good idea. Thanks a lot for the advice!

Shawn

[Sly41985]

If this is a hand made 2 part mold, such as RTV, DWP or POP, try to use a small bar clamp to press the mold together. Not so tight as to crack the mold, obviously. DON'T use a single C clamp unless you use some sort of hard backer for both sides of the mold. It puts too much pressure in one spot. A piece of thin MDF or something similar works well. . As far as leaks, you might try some blue painters tape around the joint in the mold halves. It worked for me in the past, but use more than just one strip overlapping it a bit as you go.

i used the clam and wood and it worked great! thanks a lot for the tip!

[Sly41985]

ok you guys are probably getting sick of me lol BUT i took your guys advise and poured the 2 piece mold using a clam to seal it. the lure came out really well and looked great. filled the tub up with water to see how it swam and there was no action! what am i doing wrong and what do i have to do to try and fix it??? Thanks ... again! lol

Shawn

[diemai]

@ Sly41985

Surely I don't know much about poured baits , but the dynamics should be similar to wooden ones , ..........better put up pictures of your bait , so we could figure out better about it , ...........maybe a side- , plus a top view ?

greetz , diemai

[Sly41985]

Here are some of the pics of the lure i poured. its my first one and so i wanted to try something small but would still use. i chose a sick bait from rapala.

1st pic is from the side

2nd is from the top

3rd is straight on

[Frank]

Here is what I found out about casting baits that were first made of wood. They do not act the same at all and you have to find a way to get the bouyuncy back that you lost with the resin and then weight with lead to get close to the same results. This is some trial and error. If you used the resin straight then it is close to the density of water and you might need to add some micro balloons to help it float better. Now I do not have any idea what you want out of the bait(float sink suspend) but the plain resin is in my opinion not going to work alone. Keep good records of how much you add so when you get the desired results ,you can duplicate it again. Hope this helps Frank

[Sly41985]

Here is what I found out about casting baits that were first made of wood. They do not act the same at all and you have to find a way to get the bouyuncy back that you lost with the resin and then weight with lead to get close to the same results. This is some trial and error. If you used the resin straight then it is close to the density of water and you might need to add some micro balloons to help it float better. Now I do not have any idea what you want out of the bait(float sink suspend) but the plain resin is in my opinion not going to work alone. Keep good records of how much you add so when you get the desired results ,you can duplicate it again. Hope this helps Frank

yes i didnt realize that using all resin would make the bait sink. im def going to order some micro balloons. im sure this is going to take a lot of tweaking so hopefully i can get it right without wasting too much material! lol Thanks for all of your help!

Shawn

[diemai]

@ Sly41985

I can only second to Frank ,.......when re-producing a bait , one automatically gets into the same shape , but not neccessarely into the same physical features !

So you have a proven shape of a bait here , but you have obviously failed to achieve the buoancy features of the original lure .

You have already mentioned microballons(told ya already , that I don't know much about pouring) to achieve sufficient buoancy of the resin mix , .......but you also have to take into consideration , that many lure models(in fact most) also require internal ballast weights to achieve their action , without they would not perform as well or even not at all !

So I guess , that you also need to place weights into your mold somehow prior to pouring ,...... but I really don't know for sure , how its done !

These kinda lure shapes work best with ballast between lip and belly hook hanger , sometimes also just behind the belly hook .

Belly weight more in front would improve the diving depth and stabilize the wobble , weight placed more to the rear would decrease the diving ability and improve the casting performance , but not neccessarely improve or stabilize the wobble , often render it somewhat softer or even decrease it quite a bit !

But for a jerky way of retrieve rear weights do improve the action , as far , as I am concerned !

These can only be rules of thumb , as such depends on every single lure model's shape , cross-section , buoancy , lip style , etc. .......etc....... !

good luck , diemai

[mark poulson]

If you really want to match the Rapala's action, here's what I'd do.

First, since Rapalas are mostly made from balsa, I'd get a small block of balsa.

I'd make some rectangular molds the same size as the balsa block.

I'd experiment with adding micro balloons until I achieved the same bouyancy/weight as the balsa block.

Then I'd pour one of the baits with that mix.

I'd weigh the original bait, without hooks or split rings, and see how much more it weighed than my new bait.

Then I'd drill a hole in my new bait, between the bill and the front hook hanger, and add that much ballast. If there isn't enough room, I'd either change to a weighted front hook hanger, or drill another ballast hole behind the front hook hanger.

I realize drilling a bait may weaken it, and that adding enough micro balloons to make it as light as balsa might also weaken it. I can't help you there.

But, if you follow my method, you'll be able to make the Rapala's action.

[MEckl8321]

yes it is a hand made 2 part mold ... im not sure what MDF means. i never thought to use blue painters tape! thats a good idea. Thanks a lot for the advice!

Shawn

Shawn, MDF is Medium Density Fiberboard. Look for masonite or something like that in the sheet goods at HD or Lowe's. Thin lexan also works but is a PITA to cut to the proper sizes. I can get an 18" square of lexan over by the window stuff in the home centers for about a$1.50

[Frank]

so i tried to pour a 2 part mold tonight for the first time and it did not go as planned. im using alumilites super plastic white because it has a fast set up time. when i poured it into the bait i noticed that it went straight through and out the bottom. i was holding it pretty tight and then started coming out the sides. i need to find out a way i can put the molds together and seal them while im pouring but then have the ability to demold them easily. i tried the glue gun but the stuff did not hold ... got any advice???

I use rubber bands to secure the mold. But I made one piece molds.

[Sly41985]

@ Sly41985

I can only second to Frank ,.......when re-producing a bait , one automatically gets into the same shape , but not neccessarely into the same physical features !

So you have a proven shape of a bait here , but you have obviously failed to achieve the buoancy features of the original lure .

You have already mentioned microballons(told ya already , that I don't know much about pouring) to achieve sufficient buoancy of the resin mix , .......but you also have to take into consideration , that many lure models(in fact most) also require internal ballast weights to achieve their action , without they would not perform as well or even not at all !

So I guess , that you also need to place weights into your mold somehow prior to pouring ,...... but I really don't know for sure , how its done !

These kinda lure shapes work best with ballast between lip and belly hook hanger , sometimes also just behind the belly hook .

Belly weight more in front would improve the diving depth and stabilize the wobble , weight placed more to the rear would decrease the diving ability and improve the casting performance , but not neccessarely improve or stabilize the wobble , often render it somewhat softer or even decrease it quite a bit !

But for a jerky way of retrieve rear weights do improve the action , as far , as I am concerned !

These can only be rules of thumb , as such depends on every single lure model's shape , cross-section , buoancy , lip style , etc. .......etc....... !

good luck , diemai

yes i was also thinking about the whole weight balancing ballast after the fact because when i put the lure in the tub, it not only sank but sank went every which way. im not sure exactly how they weigh the baits either but i have been doing some reading and it says that many times the weight is held between the lip and hook harness so at least i know kinda where to place the weight. now ill have to figure out amount of weight. Thanks for telling me the action of the lure based on weight placement. that is def going to help me out a lot! This is going to take a LOT of trial and error! Thank you sooo much for helping me out though i do appreciate it!

Shawn

[Sly41985]

If you really want to match the Rapala's action, here's what I'd do.

First, since Rapalas are mostly made from balsa, I'd get a small block of balsa.

I'd make some rectangular molds the same size as the balsa block.

I'd experiment with adding micro balloons until I achieved the same bouyancy/weight as the balsa block.

Then I'd pour one of the baits with that mix.

I'd weigh the original bait, without hooks or split rings, and see how much more it weighed than my new bait.

Then I'd drill a hole in my new bait, between the bill and the front hook hanger, and add that much ballast. If there isn't enough room, I'd either change to a weighted front hook hanger, or drill another ballast hole behind the front hook hanger.

I realize drilling a bait may weaken it, and that adding enough micro balloons to make it as light as balsa might also weaken it. I can't help you there.

But, if you follow my method, you'll be able to make the Rapala's action.

i see ... that def makes sense to use the same weight as the balsa. now where can i pick up these ballast weights??? where do you put the weight ... install it from underneath the bait through the bottom im guessing?

[Sly41985]

Shawn, MDF is Medium Density Fiberboard. Look for masonite or something like that in the sheet goods at HD or Lowe's. Thin lexan also works but is a PITA to cut to the proper sizes. I can get an 18" square of lexan over by the window stuff in the home centers for about a$1.50

Awesome! yeah i actually just used ply wood and it worked perfectly fine! didnt even use any painters tape either. Thanks again!

Shawn

[Sly41985]

I use rubber bands to secure the mold. But I made one piece molds.

actually that was the first thing i thought of after the 1st pour did not go as planned. the only problem was we didnt have any! hahaha but i used plywood and a clamp that worked amazingly well! Thanks for the help

Shawn

[Frank]

If yu really want to know how they weight it cut it up and look. After a few differant bait with differant actions you will get a good idea. Ive been known to cut some pretty high end ones. Sounds crazy but it helps the learning curve. Frank

[Sly41985]

If yu really want to know how they weight it cut it up and look. After a few differant bait with differant actions you will get a good idea. Ive been known to cut some pretty high end ones. Sounds crazy but it helps the learning curve. Frank

hahha actually last night thats exactly what i did. i took a plastic bait that i dont use and cut it up to talk a look inside. i think a 2 piece mold was used because of the seam running down the bait. this bait had 2 weights ... one between lip and hook harness and one after the hook harness. ive got a couple old broken rapalas i could cut up!

Shawn

[diemai]

@ Sly41985

Quite a while ago I had put up a link in here leading to a German site showing a couple of X-rayed baits , .......looked for the thread with the search function , but sadly that link appears to be broken , and I could not find it as well on that particular site anymore !

Sorry , diemai